42 killed in deadly tourist boat accident off Phuket

A tour boat capsized off the Thai coast on Thursday, killing dozens of Chinese tourists.

2018/07/10

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PHUKET, THAILAND — Dozens are dead and several others missing after a tourist boat capsized off southern Thailand in one of the country's worst sea disasters.

Reuters reports that the double decker cruise ship Phoenix had been off the coast of Phuket on Thursday, carrying 89 tourists mostly from mainland China, and 12 Thai crew and tour guides.

The ship encountered bad weather at sea, and reportedly capsized after being hit by a 16-foot wave.

More than 40 passengers and crew managed to jump from the sinking boat and have since been rescued.

Divers sent to check the sunken vessel found that many had been trapped in the lower deck. As of Monday, 42 are confirmed dead, and five are still missing, according to the provincial governor of Phuket.

The Phoenix and several other boats were out at sea despite severe weather warnings, prompting authorities to investigate.

Its captain has since been charged for negligence, along with the captain of another boat, Serenita, which also overturned around the same time but did not result in any casualties.

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